Membership and Terms of Use

Updated January 1, 2024

Independent Women’s Network is proud to collaborate with our Chapter Leaders and members, and we respect their independent thinking. IWN members and chapter leaders’ views and statements do not necessarily represent the official position of Independent Women’s Network. All activity undertaken by IWN adheres to IWF’s Code of Ethics.

Introduction
1. Contract
  By clicking “Join Now” you are agreeing to enter into a legally binding contract with the Independent Women’s Voice (the “Contract”) that defines the terms of use for, and membership in, the Independent Women’s Network. If you do not wish to enter into this Contract, do not click the Join Now button. If you decide you no longer wish to remain in this Contract, you may terminate your membership by clicking [here]. This Contract includes the provisions of set forth here as well as the Privacy Policy available [here]. By entering into this Contract, you agree to abide by the terms of this Contract and the terms of the Privacy Policy.
2. Relationships
  Independent Women’s Network (“IWN”) is a project of the Independent Women’s Voice (“IWV”), a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, that works closely with the Independent Women’s Forum (“IWF”), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. For purposes of this Contract, IWV is the party with which you are entering into a contract. Membership in IWN does not include membership in either IWV or IWF.
  By clicking “Join Now,” you are becoming a member of IWN (“Membership”) and you will be referred to as a “Member.” The exclusive benefits of Membership are described in Section 2. No other rights or benefits result from your Membership.
3. Updates and Changes
  IWN may change the terms of this Contract and the Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of such changes as set forth in Section 8. If you no longer wish to abide by the terms, you may cancel your Membership.
Membership Levels and Services Provided
There are two tiers of Membership available from IWN (Free and Member). Members receive the following benefits for the duration of their membership term, with additional terms automatically renewed (see Section 3.1) unless canceled in advance (the “Services”) for each of the two tiers:
1. Free
  - Exclusive Content (limited to 3 per day)
  - Membership Card (if address is provided)
  - Chapters
  - Member Forums
2. Member
  - All of the benefits from the Free membership tier (section 2.1)
  - IWN Lapel Pin
  - Resource Center
  - Live Discussion with Policy Experts
  - Trainings & Messaging Workshops
  - Member Directory
Your Obligations
By entering into this Contract, you agree to the following, all of which are essential terms to the Contract, and may result in us terminating your Membership if you violate these promises:
1. Payment
  In order to receive Member services, you agree to make annual or monthly payments. You will be billed at the rate shown on the sign-up page upon joining. If you terminate your membership before the end of your term, you will not receive a refund. We will alert members with annual plans before your membership is set to renew. If you opt to end your membership, you will not be charged for the following term. If you do not end your membership, then the payment method you used to join IWN will be charged on the anniversary date of your membership. We may store and continue billing your payment method (e.g. credit card) even after it has expired, to avoid interruptions to your Services.”
2. Eligibility
  By joining IWN, you agree that you meet the following eligibility requirements:
  - You are at least 18 years old.
  - You are a resident of the United States, or a citizen of the United States living abroad.
  - Your membership will be opened using your real name.
  - You will provide us with accurate information about yourself and your location.
  - You have not been terminated from Membership for violating this Contract in the past.
  - You are not creating accounts in the name of others.
  - You will use a strong password and keep that password confidential. You shall immediately notify IWV if you suspect or become aware of any loss or theft of or unauthorized use of your access credentials.
  - You agree to abide by the requirements regarding Your Content (section 4.1) and Our Content (section 4.2) and any other limits on the use of your Membership that may apply.
  - Abide by any laws in the place where you reside that might apply to your Membership activities.
Content and Intellectual Property
1. Your Content
  - The IWN Site provides access to communication and other interactive features and functionality where you can share and exchange information or content (with such shared or exchanged information or content referenced collectively as “User Contribution(s)”). You agree that by using the IWN Site you will not upload, post, display, or transmit any of the following:
    - anything which may damage, lessen, or harm the goodwill or reputation of IWF, IWV, or IWN and its services;
    - anything which defames, harasses, threatens, offends, or in any way violates or infringes on the rights of others;
    - anything which involves the impersonation of any other person or entity;
    - anything which constitutes junk mail, spam, or unauthorized advertising; or
    - anything which is unlawful.
  - We do not promise to store or keep showing any information and content that you’ve posted. You agree that we have no obligation to store, maintain or provide you a copy of any content or information that you or others provide, except to the extent required by applicable law and as noted in our Privacy Policy.
  - By submitting any type of a User Contribution(s), you automatically and hereby grant to us a perpetual, royalty-free, transferable, sublicensable, and non-exclusive right and license to adopt, publish, reproduce, disseminate, transmit, distribute, copy, use, create derivative works of, and display (in whole or in part) worldwide, or act on any such User Contribution, without additional approval or consideration, in furtherance of and in connection with the operation of the IWN Site, and you hereby waive any claim to the contrary. You represent that you have all necessary rights to make a User Contribution(s) available to IWN, and you also acknowledge that we have no control over the extent to which any idea or information (in a User Contribution) may be used by any party or person once it’s posted or displayed.
  - We are not responsible for pre-screening or editing your or any other user’s User Contributions and encourages all of its users to use reasonable discretion and caution in evaluating or reviewing any User Contributions. Moreover, we do not endorse, oppose, or edit any opinion or information provided by you or another user (unless separately and expressly provided by IWN) and does not make any representation with respect to, nor does it endorse the accuracy, acceptability, completeness, timeliness, or reliability of any User Contribution displayed, uploaded, or distributed by you or any other user. Nevertheless, we reserve the right to monitor, delete, access, read, preserve, disclose, or take other action with respect to User Contributions that we believes in good faith violates this Contract and/or is, or potentially, unlawful or harmful to IWN, IWF, or IWV, these services, or goodwill. If you violate this Contract, we may, in our sole discretion, delete the unacceptable content from your User Contribution, remove or delete the User Contribution in its entirety, issue you a warning, and/or terminate your use of this IWN Site and your Membership.
  - We reserve the right to establish additional practices, parameters, and limits in its sole discretion concerning the storage, display, or availability of any User Contribution(s). Further, we shall not have any obligation to utilize any User Contribution(s).
2. Our Content
  - The IWN Site is made available by IWN, and this Contract provides to you a personal, revocable, limited, non-exclusive, nontransferable, and nonsublicensable license to use the IWN Site conditioned on your continued compliance with this Contract. You may print and download materials and information from the IWN Site solely for your personal use, provided that all hard copies contain all copyright and other applicable notices contained in such materials and information and that you do not further distribute or disclose such materials and information. You may not access or use the IWN Site or any materials through the IWN Site for any commercial or unauthorized purposes.
  - This Contract is only a license and not an assignment or sale. We transfer no ownership or intellectual property interest or title in and to the IWN Site to you or anyone else. Further, we reserve all rights not expressly granted by this Contract. Accordingly, you may not modify, translate, decompile, create derivative work(s) of, copy, distribute, disassemble, broadcast, transmit, publish, remove or alter any proprietary notices or labels, license, sublicense, transfer, sell, mirror, frame, exploit, rent, lease, private label, grant a security interest in, or otherwise use in any manner not expressly permitted herein the IWN Site.
  - The IWN Site is owned by IWV. Copyright 2021 © IWV and/or its licensors. All rights reserved. Any downloadable or printable information or materials available through the IWN Site, unless otherwise indicated, are owned by IWN, IWF, or IWV and/or their licensors. IWN, the IWN logo, and all other names, logos, and icons identifying IWN and its software, solutions, products, and services are proprietary trademarks of IWV, and any use of such marks without the express written permission of IWV is strictly prohibited. Other service, product, or company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks and/or service marks of their respective owners.
  - IWN may provide links, in its sole discretion, to other third-party websites and/or provide access to social media platforms. Such other sites, including social media platforms, are maintained by third parties over which IWN, IWF, or IWV exercise no control. These links do not imply an endorsement with respect to any third party or the information, products, or services provided by any third party unless we expressly state otherwise.
3. Limits on Content and Use
  - We wish to keep the IWN Site as a safe and productive resource. You therefore may not use the Site or any of our data, systems, network, or services to engage in, foster, or promote illegal, abusive, or irresponsible behavior. We reserve the right to view, monitor, and/or record activity on the IWN Site in order to maintain security of the Site. Such recorded activity is subject to review by law enforcement organizations. We will also comply with all court orders or subpoenas involving requests for information. We reserve the right at any time to suspend or terminate operation of or access to the Site or any portion of the Site.
  - We are not responsible for the security of any information transmitted via the Internet, the accuracy of the information contained or presented on the IWN Site, or for the consequences of any reliance on such transmission and/or information. You must make your own determination as to these issues. You acknowledge and agree that use of the Internet and the IWN Site is solely at your own risk.
  - You agree that by using the IWN Site and participating as a Member you will not post or transmit any of the following content, information, or materials that contain any of the following:
    - anything that encourages criminal conduct or that would give rise to civil liability;
    - anything that violates any law or regulation in any jurisdiction;
    - anything that contains vulgar, obscene, profane, or otherwise objectionable language or images;
    - anything that typically would not be considered socially or professionally responsible or appropriate in person;
    - anything that harms minors or is directed as a means to contact or interact with a minor;
    - anything that impersonates any other person or entity, whether actual or fictitious, including, without limitation, employees and representatives of the IWN;
    - anything that misrepresents your affiliation with any entity and/or the IWN;
    - anything, which defames, harasses, threatens, or offends;
    - anything that violates or infringes on the rights of others or misappropriates or breaches any confidentiality obligation;
    - anything that violates the privacy or publicity rights of any other person, including, without limitation, posting any personally identifiable information of another individual;
    - anything that constitutes a chain letter or pyramid scheme;
    - anything that is false, deceptive, or misleading;
    - anything that constitutes junk mail, spam, or unauthorized advertising or promotional materials;
    - anything that is “off-topic,” irrelevant, or inappropriate for the purposes of the IWN Site;
    - anything that interferes with or disrupts the IWN Site; and
    - anything that contains or distributes malicious code, viruses, corrupted files, or any other similar software or programs that may damage the operation of another’s computer, network, or the IWN Site or our data, network, or systems.
4. Complaints About Content
  It is our policy to respond to notices of alleged infringement that comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”). We respect the intellectual property of others. Copyright owners who believe that their intellectual property rights have been infringed through the on-line services provided by IWN may contact us through their authorized agent and request that the infringing material be removed or access to it blocked. IWV’s designated “Agent for Notice” of claims of copyright infringement can be reached as follows: [IWF’s Agent of Notice]; [DMCA’s Agent’s email]; [DMCA’s Agent’s Phone Number]. Proper notification of copyright infringement must be sent to IWV’s Agent for Notice and must include the following information:
  - A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed;
  - Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed, or, if multiple copyrighted works are covered by a single notification, a representative list of such works;
  - Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled, and information reasonably sufficient to permit IWV to locate the material;
  - Information reasonably sufficient to permit IWV to contact the complaining party, such as an address, telephone number, and, if available, an electronic mail address;
  - A statement that the complaining party has a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and
  - A statement that the information in the notification is accurate and, under penalty of perjury, that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
    
    Please place the following label, “Notice of Infringement,” in the subject line of all such communications to IWV. IWV will promptly remove or disable access to materials that are the subject of a proper DMCA notification and notify the user responsible for the material about said removal.
5. Membership Directory
  IWV maintains a directory of all members of IWN (“Member Directory”). The Member Directory includes information you provide to IWV including name, membership type, location, phone number, link to email address, bio, and chapter affiliation. The Member Directory is accessible by all IWN members and fully searchable. You may opt out of being listed in the Member Directory in your profile.
Warranties
1. DISCLAIMER. THE IWN SITE IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS-IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS AND MAY INCLUDE ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR OTHER INACCURACIES. WE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE ALSO DISCLAIM ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CONTENT, THE MATERIALS, THE ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION, AND/OR THE QUALITY OF THE INFORMATION OR SERVICES PROVIDED BY OR AVAILABLE THROUGH THIS SITE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ACCESS TO OUR USE OF ANY THIRD-PARTY CONTENT OR SITES.
2. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PROVIDED BY LAW, YOU EXPRESSLY ABSOLVE AND RELEASE IWF, IWN, AND IWV FROM ANY CLAIM OF HARM RESULTING FROM A CAUSE BEYOND OUR CONTROL. MOREOVER, IN NO EVENT SHALL IWF, IWN, OR IWV BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH THE USE OF THE IWN SITE OR WITH THE DELAY OR INABILITY TO USE THE IWN SITE, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. NOTWITHSTANDING THE FOREGOING, TOTAL LIABILITY OF IWN FOR BREACH OF THIS CONTRACT IS CESSATION OF USE OF THE IWN SITE AND CANCELLATION OF MEMBERSHIP FOR ANY OTHER REASON RELATED TO YOUR USE OF THE IWN SITE WHATSOEVER FOR AN AMOUNT NOT EXCEEDING ONE HUNDRED ($100) DOLLARS.
3. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE DISCLAIMER, EXCLUSION, OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN WARRANTIES, CONDITIONS, LIABILITIES, AND DAMAGES AND, ACCORDINGLY, SOME OF THE ABOVE DISCLAIMERS AND LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. IN SUCH JURISDICTIONS, IWF, IWN, AND IWV’s LIABILITY WILL BE LIMITED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW
Termination
You may terminate this Contract at any time by canceling your Membership. We may terminate this Contract if you fail to abide by the terms set forth in this Contract. There is no refund for terminating before the end of the yearly Membership period, regardless of whether you or we terminate the Contract. Once terminated, your account will be deleted.
Disputes
This Contract will be governed by the law of the state of Delaware. All disputes and claims must be litigated in the federal or state courts of [where do we want to do this?]. You and IWF agree to personal jurisdiction in those courts.
Contact and Notices
We will contact you [how] to provide updates about the Services, fees, changes to this Contract, changes to the Privacy Policy, and any other updates necessary (“Notices”). You agree to accept all such Notices in this method. You may contact us [online] or at this [address].